A task force on water quality is committed to cutting back on phosphorus entering Lake Erie by 40 percent by 2025.

Lucas County commissioners attended the Water Quality Task Force, co-chaired by Lucas County Commissioner Pet Gerken, last week in Columbus. It is the second meeting of the blue ribbon task force since last year, according to Gerken. The other chairman of the task force is Douglas Spencer, county commissioner of Auglaize County where Grand Lake St. Marys is located. Since 2008, fertilizer and manure runoff from farmlands have fueled algal blooms in Grand Lake St. Marys, severely compromising its water quality.

Lucas County Commissioners recently urged Toledo City Council to support their request that the EPA designate the Western Lake Erie Basin as “impaired” as per the Clean Water Act.

From her home in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Karen Feridun is helping stage a growing citizen pushback against the expansion of natural gas extraction. But a far-reaching global deal recently signed halfway around the world may make her job much harder.

Feridun got involved in this fight over concerns that fracking waste laden with toxic chemicals could end up in the sewage sludge that some Pennsylvania towns spread on local farm fields.

Figuring her best bet for keeping the state’s water, food, and communities safe was putting a stop to fracking, Feridun founded Berks Gas Truth. The group is now part of a statewide coalition calling for a halt to fracking in Pennsylvania.

New Harvest Christian Church, Oregon, is joining the Flint Grassroots Initiative to collect water for Flint neighborhoods affected by lead contaminated water.

Commercially bottled water of any size will be accepted, though containers of one gallon or larger are preferred. Bottles will be collected from through Feb. 12 between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon and 6-8 p.m. at the church, 3540 Seaman Rd.

For information about volunteer or donation opportunities through New Harvest Christian Church, contact Pastor Sharon McQueary at 419-693-6543 or mcqueary197@gmail.com.

For information about the Flint Grassroots Initiative, call or email Jody Eidnes at 734-451-4670or jody@greatlakes.cc.

A student at Lake High School is being charged with inducing panic after allegedly sending an email threat to the school on Jan. 27.

According to Lake Township police reports, the 15-year-old male, of Walbridge, used another student’s email account to send the message to the school email address of Lee Herman, high school principal.

The message, which was sent around 11:15 a.m., said if the building wasn’t evacuated in 30 minutes, people could get hurt.

Herman was off campus at the time and unable to access his account. He discovered the warning when he arrived home and checked his messages around 5 p.m., according to the school district administration.

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